Come take a hike with me...

along one of the trails in Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. This place is one of 26 preserves owned and maintained by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, an organization that was created in 1972 by a voters' initiative here in the greater San Francisco Bay area. Out of the 26 preserves 24 of them are open to the public, consisting of 57,000+ acres of riparian or marshland, mountains and foothills. Most or all of these preserves usually link to other county or state parks around Santa Clara County. Fremont Older OSP is located in the Cupertino foothills and has 739 acres totaling about 14 miles of trails. I took the most popular trail up to a 900 ft. hilltop called Hunters Point that gives one a beautiful view of the Santa Clara valley. Beginning elevation is around 300 ft. and the trail is only about 1 mile from the parking lot to Hunters Point, but it is a 600 foot climb in elevation, yet the trail is well maintained. A lot of the area was mostly "hayfield," plenty of open space and rolling hills. And at this time of year (late March) the rolling hills were fairly green. But the coolest thing was seeing the fields of wildflowers. Below was a field of lupine that caught my eye. To see a larger image of any of the photos you can double click on them.

Fremont Older, a San Francisco newspaper editor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, built a home on a couple of acres that is located on the Preserve property. There is some really neat history about Fremont and Cora's estate, called Woodhills. You can go here to learn more about this colorful couple.

As I rounded a corner along the trail I came across a portion of fencing, and saw this lizard sunning himself. I was surprised he/she didn't go running off like most little lizards do. But he/she kept his ground and I got a couple of halfway decent shots of him/her.

As I continued uphill I was able to catch a glimpse of what I would get a better view of once I would get to my destination - Hunters Point. This photo was taken about 2/3 of the way up to Hunters Point. I'm looking out through a little bit of haze of downtown San Jose, the green foothills to the east, and a part of the Mt Hamilton range.

At this time of year, everywhere I looked I saw wildflowers in abundance. Here is some kind of clover mixed in with some lupine and another wildflower I haven't yet identified. I just love those pink, blue and purple colors together nestled in the green grass.

Here is another field of wildflowers, mostly clover.

And again, one of the wildflowers I cannot identify. Any guesses anyone?

Once I got to the top of Hunters Point I certainly wasn't disappointed. I was amazed how far east, north, and south I could see. The photo below is much like the previous photo of San Jose, the east foothills, and the Mt Hamilton range. This was looking east.

When I looked north I could see Moffett Field which is now part of NASA-Ames, located in Mountain View. The hangars are an excellent landmark around here. These buildings used to house blimps before and during WWII. In this photo you can also see the bay and the east foothills.

As I looked just another mile or two north of Moffett Field I could pick out another landmark by the bay. Those tents are part of Shoreline Amphitheatre. Behind and to the left of those tents is Shoreline Lake, and that is the San Francisco Bay behind those tents. This is also the southern portion of Palo Alto Baylands, one of my favorite places to bird, especially for marsh and water birds.

Again, looking east, I was able to get a decent photo of Lick Observatory on top of Mount Hamilton -- another landmark here in the bay area. These last several shots were taken with my Canon 70-300mm lens.

As I started my descent I came across more wildflowers. You probably have noticed I don't have any birds in this post. Well, I heard a number of birds that day, but the ones I heard were mostly in thick stands of trees. As for other wildlife I did see many butterflies. But none of them ever sat still long enough for me to get a picture. I'm not positive, but I think they were all Painted Ladies flitting around all the beautiful wildflowers. As I approached a much shadier area I came across this fern located near a tree.

These little orangey flowers, I think, are globe mallow. These are usually found in dry, sunny spots. I find this cute little plant a bit invasive. Areas of my yard where it hasn't been "weeded" lately seems to have quite a bit of these cute little "flowers."

I'm not sure, but I think this plant is called Indian Warrior. Can anyone verify this or give me the correct name for it? It sure is pretty.

This is a wild hyacinth. They were all over the trail. This is my favorite photo of about half a dozen or more shots I took of this plant.

Anyone want to try to identify this one? It sure was pretty.

And this one is my prize. This is a Calfornia blue-eyed grass. Isn't it beautiful? As with so many other wildflowers, this was also abundant, and needless to say quite attractive.

This is a group of the blue-eyed grasses seen on my way back down the trail.

Then as I was about to the end of the trail I saw this plant located about 75 feet from the parking lot. I'm not really positive that I have correctly identified it, but I think it's called Mule Ears. Take note of the leaves on this plant. The flowers themselves kind of look like a sunflower. Notice the flowers that already had bloomed, how brown and dried-out they look. Their heads hang much like a sunflower would.

Well, thanks for going with me on this hike; I hope you enjoyed it almost as much as I did. Be sure to double click on the photos to see a larger image. And check out the links I provided. They are quite informative about the rich history found around this part of the country.

Belgatos Park and trail

Early in March, Red and I took advantage of the beautiful spring weather we were experiencing. We went to visit a nearby park that neither of us have ever visited before, yet I knew that local birders frequently visit. The park is located in Los Gatos, about a couple miles southeast of where we live. The park itself is nestled in a residential neighborhood at the foot of Blossom Hill, and the trails take you up around Blossom Hill where there is more housing with larger lots. Albeit, these homes are where the "wealthier" folks live. Homes around here can sell for more than $1.5 million.

The weather that day was perfect - a perfect temp for hiking uphill, and visibility was great as you will see in the photos I've posted here (near the end). As we headed up the hill Red and I would occasionally look back to get a view of where we started from. At one point Red noticed some deer grazing. So we took advantage of getting some shots. Take note there is a house just on the other side of the park boundary where the deer were located. (Don't forget to click on the photos so you can get a larger image.)

As we headed further up the hill we noticed quite a bit of bird activity. Some birds we saw but I did not get pictures of were a spotted towhee and a pair of hawks (we think they were sharpies). Other birds that were difficult to get were cedar waxwings. As you can tell from my photos the lighting was a challenge -- we were in a shaded area where the waxwings kept flying into. And as you can see in these two photos we dealt with a bright sunshiny day in the middle of the day.

Here is a chestnut-backed chickadee we saw on the trail. Actually there were several of them flitting around, but this one was a bit more cooperative as a photo op.

We also saw bushtits flying around with the chickadees. This was the only decent shot I could get. These little birds are much like chickadees and titmice - they don't sit still even for a second.

And the clowns of the bird species were there in abundance -- acorn woodpeckers. Here are a couple of photos I took of them. Isn't that a beautiful blue sky behind them?

And this is a shot of a woodpecker granary. See all the holes in the branches? Isn't that cool?

Here is a shot of Lick Observatory located on top of Mt. Hamilton, which is about 20 miles away as the crow flies.

And here is a shot of downtown San Jose with the Mt Hamilton range in the background. Downtown San Jose is probably about 8 miles away as the crow flies.

Where did they go?

I had anticipated and mostly hoped to see a few orioles this spring. So to prepare for their arrival I put up the oriole feeder and added a new item that I had purchased a couple years ago, but never did put up. I think I purchased this fruit feeder from Duncraft. Anyway, I only put the nectar feeder up in late March, and finally around mid-April saw my first hooded oriole which thrilled me. Then I thought if I put up the fruit feeder the orioles will stick around and possibly find a palm tree to nest in. Apparently, hooded orioles like to nest in palm trees and we have several of them around here in my neighborhood, including one of my next door neighbors.

And this year these birds have been shy coming to the feeder. I've only seen them about half a dozen times at the feeder. And trying to get a photo was quite a challenge. One day, I think last weekend, Red (aka Heidi) and I attempted to digitally capture at least one of the birds. I was determined to get a post-worthy photo. But could I? Of course not! The two photos below were about the best I could do. Granted, I'm still learning how to use my Canon Rebel and my new lens. But Mr & Mrs Oriole you need to return now and then when I'm watching so I can improve my photography techniques. And it wouldn't hurt if you were more cooperative.

And wouldn't you think I would have more opportunities than last weekend? OK, Mr & Mrs Oriole, where did you go? I haven't seen you for a whole week now. Here I provide you with an orange in addition to the nectar. Why aren't you grateful, and why haven't you returned? Where are you?

Have they migrated north? Or didn't they like the nesting accommodations provided by my neighbors? If they migrated, I guess I can take down the feeders until they return in the fall for their trip further south. But if they didn't migrate, what did I do wrong? :-(

Wordless Wednesday

I'm still in the midst of editing photos and uploading them to my Webshots page. But here are a few of my favorite photos of our "babies" who became a year old last month.
Tango

Cash

Tango and Cash - inseparable

MIA - missing in action

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've noticed it's been about 3 weeks since I last posted, but life's been busier than usual. This is the season of Lent, and that usually means an extra worship service on Wednesday evenings. But we also get to participate in a soup supper before the service begins. My problem is that I have been getting home from work after 5:30 and we usually need to leave home by 6 pm to get to the soup supper in time. So there hasn't been any extra time to check personal emails and blog posts. The other thing that has been taking up quite a bit of my time has been Sharks hockey home games. More to report on that a little later. Also, for the past few weeks, mostly when I've had a few hours to spare, I've been trying to update all my photos in my files, and I've been trying to update my photos online. I like keeping my photos online with Webshots. If you should ever want to browse through my albums at Webshots, go here.

Meanwhile, I thought I would leave you with some photos of one of my amaryllis plants that bloomed last month. Funny thing, I have five amaryllis bulbs and only one of them bloomed this year. I must be doing something wrong, or maybe my plants are really slow this year. None of the others are showing any signs of possibly blooming in the next few weeks. But anyway, enjoy this Red Lion in its various stages of blossoming. This first one was taken on March 13th.

This one was taken only two days later - March 15th.

What a big difference here; this was taken March 19th.

And in its full bloom on March 22. And it was about another two or three days and these blooms were gone. They sure didn't last long. But I totally enjoyed them while they existed.

A day in San Francisco on Fisherman's Wharf

A week ago, Saturday the 7th, my husband, daughter Red, and I went to San Francisco for the day. We met Ruthie J of Nature Knitter and her brothers for lunch at Castagnola's next to Fisherman's Wharf. While waiting for Ruthie to arrive, we were seated at the Captain's Table where you can get a 180 degree view of the boats docked at Fisherman's Wharf. While waiting, I could see a black-crowned night heron and a snowy egret. I took photos of both birds, but the heron pic was not very good. But you can see a very nice photo of the heron on Ruthie's blog (here). Below is my photo of the snowy egret. I sure do love those bright yellow feet!

After our lunch and conversations, Ruthie wanted to see some other sights. While we drove down The Embarcadero looking for a place to park I had noticed some photo ops, including some beautiful flowers - mostly tulips. Be sure to click on any of the photos for an enlargement. First, here is a shot of the sign for Pier 39, the largest and most commercial part of Fisherman's Wharf. Typical of weekends, it was wall-to-wall people, especially since this was the first beautiful weekend in quite a while.

And here are a few photos of the tulips we had seen. Aren't they beautiful? Mixed in to make it very colorful were other flowers such as daffodils, primroses, and anemones (I think), as well as other small flowers. They sure were colorful and quite attractive all along Pier 39.

Here is a view of Alcatraz Island from Pier 39, with one of several sailboats that were out on the bay that day.

Boudin Bakery across from Fisherman's Wharf, world famous for their sourdough breads.

Ice cream or yogurt, anyone?

Found on our walk were several Brewer's Blackbirds. Here is a shot of a female.

Another species seen were several gulls. This one, I think, is a Western gull carrying an old empty plastic bread bag. He/she was trying to keep it from letting the "youngster" get it. Below this photo is the "youngster." Notice how much grayer and mottled looking is his plumage which is an indication of a first or second year gull. I would think it is a first year gull.

As we were heading back from Pier 39 and toward the direction of where our car was parked, I saw this hawk perched on a fence around the pier. Enlarge the photo and take note that it has a leg missing. I am identifying it as a Sharp-shinned hawk.

If you have the extra time and are interested in more sights and history of this part of San Francisco, click on all the links I provided.

Thank you, Ruthie J!

This past Saturday, most of my family had the opportunity to meet Ruthie J of Nature Knitter and part of her family. My husband, daughter Red (aka Heidi) and I met Ruthie and her brothers in San Francisco. We met for lunch at Castagnola's. And it was such a bright sunshiny day in "the city" as we South Bay folks call San Francisco. Typical of this city, especially on weekends, it was wall-to-wall people everywhere around Fisherman's Wharf.

Meeting of the "clans." Below, back row, Ruthie's brothers, Phil and Dave. Ruthie's in the middle, and I'm in front (on left), Heidi (Red), and my husband Dave. It was such a special day for us bloggers to meet and get to know each other a little better. I felt I have known Ruthie all my life; but then so many other bloggers have said the same thing after meeting another blogging buddy.

Ruthie came bearing gifts for Red and me. You'll have to check Red's blog (http://mmatm.blogspot.com) to see what Ruthie brought her. Ruthie gave me a pair of fingerless gloves, and below is a picture of one of the gloves. Thank you, Ruthie! Even though our weather is beginning to warm up now, I know they will certainly be handy for next winter, and I look forward to wearing them.

And I'm now an "official" member of the Blogger flock! Again, thank you, Ruthie! I really enjoyed our time together and hope some day I'll be able to come visit you in Minnesota, or meet up with you at a birding festival. We would certainly have a lot of fun together.

Following our lengthy lunch we set out to walk around Fisherman's Wharf before heading home. Red and I had seen some beautiful tulips over by Pier 39 and we wanted very much to get photos of those beauties. The sights we saw as well as the tulips will be in my next post.

Skywatch Friday # 34

Back in early January, my family and I visited Elkhorn Slough Reserve on a late Sunday afternoon. My daughter Red (aka Heidi) and I took a relatively short trail around the Reserve knowing it was close to closing time. This old "barn" looks like it had been used for storing grain. But it also shows that before this land became Elkhorn Slough Reserve it used to be private farmland.

As we got near the end of the trail the sun was setting, and as we looked westward we could see the PG&E stacks across the way in Moss Landing. At first we weren't sure it was going to be much of a sunset. But Mother Nature proved us wrong.

Below you can see in the far distance many birds flying around, probably getting ready to find a roost for the night.

All is quiet now, and we needed to hurry out of the Reserve, because it was past closing time.

Click on the link to see other bloggers' Skywatch postings.